The 10 Minute Mentor

In an age of accelerated volatility, shifting business models, and a shrinking globe, strategy without the right leadership throughout the organization is just a slide deck. The 10 Minute Mentor is a podcast series on leadership in the age of disruption featuring authentic, pragmatic, and thought-provoking conversations with experienced CEOs and top business executives. Listen to their stories about leading through transformation, navigating ambiguity, and managing through crisis. In each episode, we uncover those crucible moments that defined them as leaders.

Phil Gross returns for Part II of his 10 Minute Mentor Podcast series where he reflects on learning from failure over the course of his career. In this episode, Phil discusses the decision to bring a breakthrough technology to market during his time as SVP at the Warner-Lambert Company. Considering this decision “the biggest failure I’ve been involved in”, Phil Gross provides tools for leaders as they navigate similar choices around innovation during this age of disruption.

Is failure avoidable? When is it okay to take a risk? Can a leader rely on third party experts in making strategic decisions? Is the company equipped to handle defeat?

In the culmination of Phil’s conversation with host David Reimer, he argues that leaders should constantly challenge their own thinking with “what ifs?”, have a backup plan, and understand the limitations of third party experts in grasping the unique business context of the strategic decision. Ultimately, some organizations will handle defeat better than others, often a testament to the company’s culture.

Key Takeaways:

07:10 PG: When you look at a business, to what extent are you relying on third party information to make big decisions? …We relied on third party people to really understand it and they signed off on what we were doing. Once we hired our own people, then it turned out we learned a lot more.

09:15 PG: The key strategy in flying safely is redundancy, and not only redundancy in the technology, but redundancy in your thinking. What am I going to do if this happens? The question is at what level will you be able to absorb the risk? And if you can view yourself at the level at which you can absorb the risk, and say “Okay I can handle it”, then you can go ahead.

11:12 PG: While the management of the company might be criticized for the fact that it got into something it didn’t know about well enough and maybe moved too fast in terms of moving into a marketplace that was unknown, it has to get a lot of credit for how it handled this defeat in terms of not changing the minds of its people, in terms of being willing to take risks and not being punitive for trying to do something great. And looking back, that has to do, in many ways, with the culture of the company.

Click here to download the full transcript. The 10 Minute Mentor PodcastOur ongoing series on leadership in the age of disruption.

Phil Gross returns for Part II of his 10 Minute Mentor Podcast series where he reflects on learning from failure over the course of his career. In this episode, Phil discusses the decision to bring a breakthrough technology to market during his time as SVP at the Warner-Lambert Company. Considering this decision “the biggest failure I’ve been involved in”, Phil Gross provides tools for leaders as they navigate similar choices around innovation during this age of disruption.

Is failure avoidable? When is it okay to take a risk? Can a leader rely on third party experts in making strategic decisions? Is the company equipped to handle defeat?

In the culmination of Phil’s conversation with host David Reimer, he argues that leaders should constantly challenge their own thinking with “what ifs?”, have a backup plan, and understand the limitations of third party experts in grasping the unique business context of the strategic decision. Ultimately, some organizations will handle defeat better than others, often a testament to the company’s culture.

Key Takeaways:

07:10 PG: When you look at a business, to what extent are you relying on third party information to make big decisions? …We relied on third party people to really understand it and they signed off on what we were doing. Once we hired our own people, then it turned out we learned a lot more.

09:15 PG: The key strategy in flying safely is redundancy, and not only redundancy in the technology, but redundancy in your thinking. What am I going to do if this happens? The question is at what level will you be able to absorb the risk? And if you can view yourself at the level at which you can absorb the risk, and say “Okay I can handle it”, then you can go ahead.

11:12 PG: While the management of the company might be criticized for the fact that it got into something it didn’t know about well enough and maybe moved too fast in terms of moving into a marketplace that was unknown, it has to get a lot of credit for how it handled this defeat in terms of not changing the minds of its people, in terms of being willing to take risks and not being punitive for trying to do something great. And looking back, that has to do, in many ways, with the culture of the company.

Click here to download the full transcript. The 10 Minute Mentor PodcastOur ongoing series on leadership in the age of disruption.

Phil Gross returns for Part II of his 10 Minute Mentor Podcast series where he reflects on learning from failure over the course of his career. In this episode, Phil discusses the decision to bring a breakthrough technology to market during his time as SVP at the Warner-Lambert Company. Considering this decision “the biggest failure I’ve been involved in”, Phil Gross provides tools for leaders as they navigate similar choices around innovation during this age of disruption.

Is failure avoidable? When is it okay to take a risk? Can a leader rely on third party experts in making strategic decisions? Is the company equipped to handle defeat?

In the culmination of Phil’s conversation with host David Reimer, he argues that leaders should constantly challenge their own thinking with “what ifs?”, have a backup plan, and understand the limitations of third party experts in grasping the unique business context of the strategic decision. Ultimately, some organizations will handle defeat better than others, often a testament to the company’s culture.

Key Takeaways:

07:10 PG: When you look at a business, to what extent are you relying on third party information to make big decisions? …We relied on third party people to really understand it and they signed off on what we were doing. Once we hired our own people, then it turned out we learned a lot more.

09:15 PG: The key strategy in flying safely is redundancy, and not only redundancy in the technology, but redundancy in your thinking. What am I going to do if this happens? The question is at what level will you be able to absorb the risk? And if you can view yourself at the level at which you can absorb the risk, and say “Okay I can handle it”, then you can go ahead.

11:12 PG: While the management of the company might be criticized for the fact that it got into something it didn’t know about well enough and maybe moved too fast in terms of moving into a marketplace that was unknown, it has to get a lot of credit for how it handled this defeat in terms of not changing the minds of its people, in terms of being willing to take risks and not being punitive for trying to do something great. And looking back, that has to do, in many ways, with the culture of the company.

Click here to download the full transcript. The 10 Minute Mentor PodcastOur ongoing series on leadership in the age of disruption.

Phil Gross returns for Part II of his 10 Minute Mentor Podcast series where he reflects on learning from failure over the course of his career. In this episode, Phil discusses the decision to bring a breakthrough technology to market during his time as SVP at the Warner-Lambert Company. Considering this decision “the biggest failure I’ve been involved in”, Phil Gross provides tools for leaders as they navigate similar choices around innovation during this age of disruption.

Is failure avoidable? When is it okay to take a risk? Can a leader rely on third party experts in making strategic decisions? Is the company equipped to handle defeat?

In the culmination of Phil’s conversation with host David Reimer, he argues that leaders should constantly challenge their own thinking with “what ifs?”, have a backup plan, and understand the limitations of third party experts in grasping the unique business context of the strategic decision. Ultimately, some organizations will handle defeat better than others, often a testament to the company’s culture.

Key Takeaways:

07:10 PG: When you look at a business, to what extent are you relying on third party information to make big decisions? …We relied on third party people to really understand it and they signed off on what we were doing. Once we hired our own people, then it turned out we learned a lot more.

09:15 PG: The key strategy in flying safely is redundancy, and not only redundancy in the technology, but redundancy in your thinking. What am I going to do if this happens? The question is at what level will you be able to absorb the risk? And if you can view yourself at the level at which you can absorb the risk, and say “Okay I can handle it”, then you can go ahead.

11:12 PG: While the management of the company might be criticized for the fact that it got into something it didn’t know about well enough and maybe moved too fast in terms of moving into a marketplace that was unknown, it has to get a lot of credit for how it handled this defeat in terms of not changing the minds of its people, in terms of being willing to take risks and not being punitive for trying to do something great. And looking back, that has to do, in many ways, with the culture of the company.

Phil Gross has had many successes over the course of his career as a Fortune 50 executive, but in this special 2-part edition of the 10 Minute Mentor, Phil Gross reflects on learning from failure while at General Electric and the Warner-Lambert Company. In this episode, Phil provides his retrospective insights on both a failed investment and a failed merger and acquisition during his time at General Electric. Phil provides lessons for leaders as they navigate failure, perhaps a more common risk than ever before during this age of disruption.

Is failure avoidable? What role should a leader take when an initiative fails? How does a leader not only personally recover, but also carry their team forward? Are there steps a leader can take to mitigate the damage of failure?

In Phil’s conversation with host David Reimer, he argues that while retrospect is 20-20, in the face of failure it is important that leaders keep emotions at arm’s length, do not get blind-sided, and always have an alternate plan.

Key Takeaways:

04:36: For one thing, you can’t know everything. But in thinking about it, the biggest lesson here is that there are going to be some projects that you ought to decide that you shouldn’t do them unless you can absorb a major loss.

08:01: Even though I had been running businesses now for probably 10 years, more than 10 years, I was just thunderstruck by this. I couldn’t believe it was happening, and I have to admit that even though I wasn’t a deer in the headlights, I was very close to one because this is sort of like your whole world, your whole game plan has been taken away from you.

08:43: You have to have an alternate plan, even if you don’t talk about it but just because it’s strategically a good thing doesn’t mean it’s going to happen, and managers sometimes have to be more flexible and, I have to admit, more detached.

Click here to download the full transcript. The 10 Minute Mentor PodcastOur ongoing series on leadership in the age of disruption.

Phil Gross has had many successes over the course of his career as a Fortune 50 executive, but in this special 2-part edition of the 10 Minute Mentor, Phil Gross reflects on learning from failure while at General Electric and the Warner-Lambert Company. In this episode, Phil provides his retrospective insights on both a failed investment and a failed merger and acquisition during his time at General Electric. Phil provides lessons for leaders as they navigate failure, perhaps a more common risk than ever before during this age of disruption.

Is failure avoidable? What role should a leader take when an initiative fails? How does a leader not only personally recover, but also carry their team forward? Are there steps a leader can take to mitigate the damage of failure?

In Phil’s conversation with host David Reimer, he argues that while retrospect is 20-20, in the face of failure it is important that leaders keep emotions at arm’s length, do not get blind-sided, and always have an alternate plan.

Key Takeaways:

04:36: For one thing, you can’t know everything. But in thinking about it, the biggest lesson here is that there are going to be some projects that you ought to decide that you shouldn’t do them unless you can absorb a major loss.

08:01: Even though I had been running businesses now for probably 10 years, more than 10 years, I was just thunderstruck by this. I couldn’t believe it was happening, and I have to admit that even though I wasn’t a deer in the headlights, I was very close to one because this is sort of like your whole world, your whole game plan has been taken away from you.

08:43: You have to have an alternate plan, even if you don’t talk about it but just because it’s strategically a good thing doesn’t mean it’s going to happen, and managers sometimes have to be more flexible and, I have to admit, more detached.

Click here to download the full transcript. The 10 Minute Mentor PodcastOur ongoing series on leadership in the age of disruption.

Phil Gross has had many successes over the course of his career as a Fortune 50 executive, but in this special 2-part edition of the 10 Minute Mentor, Phil Gross reflects on learning from failure while at General Electric and the Warner-Lambert Company. In this episode, Phil provides his retrospective insights on both a failed investment and a failed merger and acquisition during his time at General Electric. Phil provides lessons for leaders as they navigate failure, perhaps a more common risk than ever before during this age of disruption.

Is failure avoidable? What role should a leader take when an initiative fails? How does a leader not only personally recover, but also carry their team forward? Are there steps a leader can take to mitigate the damage of failure?

In Phil’s conversation with host David Reimer, he argues that while retrospect is 20-20, in the face of failure it is important that leaders keep emotions at arm’s length, do not get blind-sided, and always have an alternate plan.

Key Takeaways:

04:36: For one thing, you can’t know everything. But in thinking about it, the biggest lesson here is that there are going to be some projects that you ought to decide that you shouldn’t do them unless you can absorb a major loss.

08:01: Even though I had been running businesses now for probably 10 years, more than 10 years, I was just thunderstruck by this. I couldn’t believe it was happening, and I have to admit that even though I wasn’t a deer in the headlights, I was very close to one because this is sort of like your whole world, your whole game plan has been taken away from you.

08:43: You have to have an alternate plan, even if you don’t talk about it but just because it’s strategically a good thing doesn’t mean it’s going to happen, and managers sometimes have to be more flexible and, I have to admit, more detached.

Click here to download the full transcript. The 10 Minute Mentor PodcastOur ongoing series on leadership in the age of disruption.

Phil Gross has had many successes over the course of his career as a Fortune 50 executive, but in this special 2-part edition of the 10 Minute Mentor, Phil Gross reflects on learning from failure while at General Electric and the Warner-Lambert Company. In this episode, Phil provides his retrospective insights on both a failed investment and a failed merger and acquisition during his time at General Electric. Phil provides lessons for leaders as they navigate failure, perhaps a more common risk than ever before during this age of disruption.

Is failure avoidable? What role should a leader take when an initiative fails? How does a leader not only personally recover, but also carry their team forward? Are there steps a leader can take to mitigate the damage of failure?

In Phil’s conversation with host David Reimer, he argues that while retrospect is 20-20, in the face of failure it is important that leaders keep emotions at arm’s length, do not get blind-sided, and always have an alternate plan.

Key Takeaways:

04:36: For one thing, you can’t know everything. But in thinking about it, the biggest lesson here is that there are going to be some projects that you ought to decide that you shouldn’t do them unless you can absorb a major loss.

08:01: Even though I had been running businesses now for probably 10 years, more than 10 years, I was just thunderstruck by this. I couldn’t believe it was happening, and I have to admit that even though I wasn’t a deer in the headlights, I was very close to one because this is sort of like your whole world, your whole game plan has been taken away from you.

08:43: You have to have an alternate plan, even if you don’t talk about it but just because it’s strategically a good thing doesn’t mean it’s going to happen, and managers sometimes have to be more flexible and, I have to admit, more detached.

Over the course of her career, Meredith Hellicar, CEO of Merryck & Co. Australia, has served as manager or CEO to more than a dozen public and private companies and is one of a few women to chair an S&P ASX 100 company. Meredith reflects on her journey as a woman leader and discusses the different eras of how women leaders have been developed in the past. She argues that organizations and boards in today’s era need to be intentional in developing the leaders they need to win in this age of disruption.

How have companies approached women in leadership over the last three decades? What has changed for organizations that has made diversity of thought critical for future success? What is the role of the board in developing the next generation of the right leaders to win?

In Meredith’s conversation with host David Reimer, she argues that in today’s world it is not about “Fixing Women” but instead, organizations valuing diversity of thought and women leaders bringing their true, authentic self to work.

Key Takeaways:

03:03: I’ve got this theory that there are three eras. The first era is change the policies and processes. And that’s all been kind of dusted, every organization’s got the right policies and processes. The second era was change the women, fix the women. Let’s have them all mentored and let’s have women’s leadership programs, let’s teach them how to be. And the current era is fix the organization.

06:04: The change for leaders, whether it’s male or female, is have a mentor to help you be the leader you are, to help you navigate in an organization whilst being yourself, which is different from helping you become a chameleon and just becoming one of the clones within the organization.

12:43: If you don’t model the leadership you want in others, it simply won’t exist. And tied up with that is— and don’t look for one single style of how to get things done—Embrace the diversity, build a team around you of difference, of different ways of approaching, push for wonderful constructive conflict between them, give specific and actionable feedback. If you’re not doing it right for everyone, then you’ll certainly not be doing it right for women.

Click here to download the full transcript. The 10 Minute Mentor PodcastOur ongoing series on leadership in the age of disruption.

Episode 5: It’s Not About “Fixing Women”: The Role of Boards and Organizations in Developing the Next Generation of Women

Over the course of her career, Meredith Hellicar, CEO of Merryck & Co. Australia, has served as manager or CEO to more than a dozen public and private companies and is one of a few women to chair an S&P ASX 100 company. Meredith reflects on her journey as a woman leader and discusses the different eras of how women leaders have been developed in the past. She argues that organizations and boards in today’s era need to be intentional in developing the leaders they need to win in this age of disruption.

How have companies approached women in leadership over the last three decades? What has changed for organizations that has made diversity of thought critical for future success? What is the role of the board in developing the next generation of the right leaders to win?

In Meredith’s conversation with host David Reimer, she argues that in today’s world it is not about “Fixing Women” but instead, organizations valuing diversity of thought and women leaders bringing their true, authentic self to work.

Key Takeaways:

03:03: I’ve got this theory that there are three eras. The first era is change the policies and processes. And that’s all been kind of dusted, every organization’s got the right policies and processes. The second era was change the women, fix the women. Let’s have them all mentored and let’s have women’s leadership programs, let’s teach them how to be. And the current era is fix the organization.

06:04: The change for leaders, whether it’s male or female, is have a mentor to help you be the leader you are, to help you navigate in an organization whilst being yourself, which is different from helping you become a chameleon and just becoming one of the clones within the organization.

12:43: If you don’t model the leadership you want in others, it simply won’t exist. And tied up with that is— and don’t look for one single style of how to get things done—Embrace the diversity, build a team around you of difference, of different ways of approaching, push for wonderful constructive conflict between them, give specific and actionable feedback. If you’re not doing it right for everyone, then you’ll certainly not be doing it right for women.

Click here to download the full transcript. The 10 Minute Mentor PodcastOur ongoing series on leadership in the age of disruption.

Episode 5: It’s Not About “Fixing Women”: The Role of Boards and Organizations in Developing the Next Generation of Women

Over the course of her career, Meredith Hellicar, CEO of Merryck & Co. Australia, has served as manager or CEO to more than a dozen public and private companies and is one of a few women to chair an S&P ASX 100 company. Meredith reflects on her journey as a woman leader and discusses the different eras of how women leaders have been developed in the past. She argues that organizations and boards in today’s era need to be intentional in developing the leaders they need to win in this age of disruption.

How have companies approached women in leadership over the last three decades? What has changed for organizations that has made diversity of thought critical for future success? What is the role of the board in developing the next generation of the right leaders to win?

In Meredith’s conversation with host David Reimer, she argues that in today’s world it is not about “Fixing Women” but instead, organizations valuing diversity of thought and women leaders bringing their true, authentic self to work.

Key Takeaways:

03:03: I’ve got this theory that there are three eras. The first era is change the policies and processes. And that’s all been kind of dusted, every organization’s got the right policies and processes. The second era was change the women, fix the women. Let’s have them all mentored and let’s have women’s leadership programs, let’s teach them how to be. And the current era is fix the organization.

06:04: The change for leaders, whether it’s male or female, is have a mentor to help you be the leader you are, to help you navigate in an organization whilst being yourself, which is different from helping you become a chameleon and just becoming one of the clones within the organization.

12:43: If you don’t model the leadership you want in others, it simply won’t exist. And tied up with that is— and don’t look for one single style of how to get things done—Embrace the diversity, build a team around you of difference, of different ways of approaching, push for wonderful constructive conflict between them, give specific and actionable feedback. If you’re not doing it right for everyone, then you’ll certainly not be doing it right for women.

Click here to download the full transcript. The 10 Minute Mentor PodcastOur ongoing series on leadership in the age of disruption.

Episode 5: It’s Not About “Fixing Women”: The Role of Boards and Organizations in Developing the Next Generation of Women

Over the course of her career, Meredith Hellicar, CEO of Merryck & Co. Australia, has served as manager or CEO to more than a dozen public and private companies and is one of a few women to chair an S&P ASX 100 company. Meredith reflects on her journey as a woman leader and discusses the different eras of how women leaders have been developed in the past. She argues that organizations and boards in today’s era need to be intentional in developing the leaders they need to win in this age of disruption.

How have companies approached women in leadership over the last three decades? What has changed for organizations that has made diversity of thought critical for future success? What is the role of the board in developing the next generation of the right leaders to win?

In Meredith’s conversation with host David Reimer, she argues that in today’s world it is not about “Fixing Women” but instead, organizations valuing diversity of thought and women leaders bringing their true, authentic self to work.

Key Takeaways:

03:03: I’ve got this theory that there are three eras. The first era is change the policies and processes. And that’s all been kind of dusted, every organization’s got the right policies and processes. The second era was change the women, fix the women. Let’s have them all mentored and let’s have women’s leadership programs, let’s teach them how to be. And the current era is fix the organization.

06:04: The change for leaders, whether it’s male or female, is have a mentor to help you be the leader you are, to help you navigate in an organization whilst being yourself, which is different from helping you become a chameleon and just becoming one of the clones within the organization.

12:43: If you don’t model the leadership you want in others, it simply won’t exist. And tied up with that is— and don’t look for one single style of how to get things done—Embrace the diversity, build a team around you of difference, of different ways of approaching, push for wonderful constructive conflict between them, give specific and actionable feedback. If you’re not doing it right for everyone, then you’ll certainly not be doing it right for women.

As the former CEO of Applebee’s International, Dave Goebel remarks on his experience and lessons learned in dealing with an activist shareholder, whom ultimately landed representation on the board, amidst disruption in the casual-dining restaurant.

How can a leader detect future disruption from shareholders? Are there patterns of disruption across industries that attract activists of which CEOs should recognize? How do CEOs delineate between noise in the system and significant disruption from an activist?

Can a CEO recognize a shareholder’s perspective from his/her position? Once you have an activist, how does a CEO work through the decision on what course of action to take in dealing with this disruption?

Dave’s conversation with host, David Reimer provides insights for a CEO as he/she navigates the disruption of dealing with an activist shareholder. While it is key for leaders to remain optimistic and open-minded to the positions and views of shareholders, it is also important to prevent yourself from becoming an easy target.

The 10 Minute Mentor PodcastOur ongoing series on leadership in the age of disruption.

Episode 4: Activist Shareholders and the CEO: Disruption in the Boardroom

As the former CEO of Applebee’s International, Dave Goebel remarks on his experience and lessons learned in dealing with an activist shareholder, whom ultimately landed representation on the board, amidst disruption in the casual-dining restaurant.

How can a leader detect future disruption from shareholders? Are there patterns of disruption across industries that attract activists of which CEOs should recognize? How do CEOs delineate between noise in the system and significant disruption from an activist?

Can a CEO recognize a shareholder’s perspective from his/her position? Once you have an activist, how does a CEO work through the decision on what course of action to take in dealing with this disruption?

Dave’s conversation with host, David Reimer provides insights for a CEO as he/she navigates the disruption of dealing with an activist shareholder. While it is key for leaders to remain optimistic and open-minded to the positions and views of shareholders, it is also important to prevent yourself from becoming an easy target.

The 10 Minute Mentor PodcastOur ongoing series on leadership in the age of disruption.

Episode 4: Activist Shareholders and the CEO: Disruption in the Boardroom

As the former CEO of Applebee’s International, Dave Goebel remarks on his experience and lessons learned in dealing with an activist shareholder, whom ultimately landed representation on the board, amidst disruption in the casual-dining restaurant.

How can a leader detect future disruption from shareholders? Are there patterns of disruption across industries that attract activists of which CEOs should recognize? How do CEOs delineate between noise in the system and significant disruption from an activist?

Can a CEO recognize a shareholder’s perspective from his/her position? Once you have an activist, how does a CEO work through the decision on what course of action to take in dealing with this disruption?

Dave’s conversation with host, David Reimer provides insights for a CEO as he/she navigates the disruption of dealing with an activist shareholder. While it is key for leaders to remain optimistic and open-minded to the positions and views of shareholders, it is also important to prevent yourself from becoming an easy target.

The 10 Minute Mentor PodcastOur ongoing series on leadership in the age of disruption.

Episode 4: Activist Shareholders and the CEO: Disruption in the Boardroom

As the former CEO of Applebee’s International, Dave Goebel remarks on his experience and lessons learned in dealing with an activist shareholder, whom ultimately landed representation on the board, amidst disruption in the casual-dining restaurant.

How can a leader detect future disruption from shareholders? Are there patterns of disruption across industries that attract activists of which CEOs should recognize? How do CEOs delineate between noise in the system and significant disruption from an activist?

Can a CEO recognize a shareholder’s perspective from his/her position? Once you have an activist, how does a CEO work through the decision on what course of action to take in dealing with this disruption?

Dave’s conversation with host, David Reimer provides insights for a CEO as he/she navigates the disruption of dealing with an activist shareholder. While it is key for leaders to remain optimistic and open-minded to the positions and views of shareholders, it is also important to prevent yourself from becoming an easy target.